The present invention relates generally to Radio Frequency (RF) communications systems, and more particularly to a system and method providing a communications interface wherein an integrated chip antenna is employed in conjunction with a display to create an easily manufactured, lower cost communications system.
Wireless communications systems have experienced rapid growth and technological innovation in recent years. Society has accepted and in some cases become dependent upon wireless technologies such as cellular phones and pagers for daily personal and professional communications. This has become possible by continual advancements in microelectronics and power technologies, which have aided in decreasing the size, weight and cost of these devices while increasing functionality. Many industrial and commercial applications have come to depend on wireless technologies as well. Factories, warehouses, retail establishments and service establishments (e.g., rental car agencies and utilities) have also come to depend on wireless technologies thereby enabling workers to be more productive and decreasing their overall costs. Inventory control stations, checkout or billing systems, pricing and labeling systems, automatic storage and retrieval systems and short-range employee communications systems are just a few examples of applications that benefit from wireless communications technology.
Wireless communication systems utilize several well-known components such as a receiver, transmitter and an antenna The receiver and transmitter, hereafter referred to as a communications module or subsystem, powers, filters, modulates and de-modulates associated communications signals, wherein the antenna is employed to receive and broadcast these signals. Antennas may be manufactured from many conductive materials, and are constructed according to the frequency of signal that is being received and/or broadcast. For example, a communications device that is receiving or broadcasting in the 400 megahertz frequency range will need a longer antenna than a comparable communications device receiving or broadcasting in the 900 megahertz frequency range due to the wavelength of the signal. There are many methods for constructing antennas and attaching them to communications modules in practice today. Many manufacturers install an externally mounted flexible rod, or whip antenna on their communications systems. These may be hard-wired into the communications module, or they may be detachable through techniques such as a threaded base. Devices that do not require long-range communications may have an internally mounted antenna such as a length of wire or coaxial cable. These and other methods of antenna construction and installation within a communications module are widely practiced and accepted, but each has drawbacks that render these techniques less than optimal.
Externally mounted antennas extend into the atmosphere from the communications device on which it is installed. The result is often less than aesthetically pleasing and has functional ramifications as well. Because of the protrusion of the antenna from the main body of the product, it is easy to catch or xe2x80x9csnagxe2x80x9d the device on stationary objects. If the communications device is dropped or placed without care, the antenna is likely to be affected due to its exposed installation. Impacts such as this will, over time, have the affect of distorting or damaging the antenna, thus changing the operating parameters. This could include a decrease in effective range, changing the desired operating signal frequency, and intermittent operation. The externally mounted antenna also creates challenges in manufacturing, as the method used to mount this type of antenna generally requires more parts and more machining processes, both of which will add labor, complexity and cost to the system.
Internally mounted wire or coaxial cable antenna, hereinafter referred to as a cable antenna, mitigates some of the problems associated with the exposed installation of an external antenna, but creates other obstacles in the process. Depending on the operating frequency, the cable required could be many inches in length, which may cause difficulty in securely placing and fastening the cable antenna within the communications device. Because of the highly flexible nature of cable antennas, it is difficult to uniformly place and fasten them in each communications device manufactured, thus operating differences from one communications device to another are common. Also, sudden movement of the communications device or impact with another object may displace the cable antenna from the desired mounted position, thus dramatically affecting the performance of the device. The manufacture of the cable antenna is generally a manual process, and thus control of the final operating parameters is less than optimal.
In view of the above problems associated with externally and/or internally mounted wire antennas, there is an unsolved need for a system and methodology to provide reliable, higher quality and lower cost communications devices to consumers.
The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The present invention relates to a system and method providing a lower cost and higher reliability communications system utilizing an integrated chip antenna. The system employs chip antenna technology which may be coupled to a small printed circuit card or flexible circuit material, hereafter referred to as the circuit material, and a display lens for providing a ground plane for the chip antenna and a mounting surface for the circuit material. The present invention integrates the chip antenna technology and the display lens within a packaged communications module creating a reliable, and lower cost communications system. The communications system may include a receiver and/or transmitter, and may operate in suitable frequency ranges as provided by the chip antenna.
In accordance with the present invention, a chip antenna is operatively coupled to the circuit material. Chip antennas are generally small in size, and may be mounted to the circuit material through a surface mounting solder process. This process creates a substantially rigid, non-flexible connection to the circuit material. The circuit material is then mechanically adhered to and electrically isolated from the conductive surface of the display lens. The surface of the display lens is covered with a conductive material that is transparent to allow for viewing of the information on a display device driving the lens. The circuit material is etched to allow for electrical coupling of the chip antenna to the circuitry within the communications module. The display lens provides an electrically isolated access through or around the conductive surface of the lens to the circuitry contained within the communications module. Coupling of the chip antenna circuit to the communication circuitry may be achieved through mating connectors or direct connection of a flexible circuit material into the communication module circuit, as well other techniques employed in accordance with the present invention.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a portable communications and display system is provided. The system includes a chip antenna for transmitting and receiving RF signals and a lens material for mounting the chip antenna. A conductive material provides a chip antenna ground plane, wherein the conductive material provides an operative coupling between the lens material and the chip antenna. A communications subsystem is associated with the lens material and is operatively coupled to the chip antenna for processing the RF signals.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for portable communications and display. The method includes: utilizing a chip antenna for transmitting and receiving RF signals; applying a conductive material to a lens material to provide a ground plane for the chip antenna; mounting the chip antenna to the conductive material and lens material; and coupling the chip antenna to a communications subsystem that is associated with the lens material for processing the RF signals.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for portable communications and display. The system includes: a chip antenna for transmitting and receiving RF signals; means for coating a lens material to provide a ground plane for the chip antenna; means for mounting the chip antenna to the lens material; and means for coupling the chip antenna to a communications subsystem that is associated with the lens material for processing the RF signals.
The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings